B i o g r a p h y

Morgan Southard is a theatre educator, director, actor, and coach who offers her services to students and spaces around the country both online and in person. Morgan graduated in 2007 with her BFA in Theatre Performance from the University of Evansville, completed her MFA in Acting from Southern Methodist University in 2010, and has been working professionally ever since. A Dallas-area native, Morgan got her industry start as an actor, appearing in over a dozen productions from 2010-2013 at venues such as Circle Theatre, Stage West, WaterTower Theatre, and the Trinity Shakespeare Festival. In 2013 Morgan made the pivot to theatre education when she was hired at what is now known as North Texas Performing Arts (NTPA), the state’s largest non-profit youth theatre. From 2013-2016 she served on NTPA’s staff as a summer camp coordinator, acting/musical theatre instructor, and director of 8+ productions per year. In 2016 Morgan was promoted to Director of Education, where she developed curriculum, taught, and managed the daily operations of a growing educational program. In this position, Morgan also led and coordinated the NTPA Acting Company of Excellence (ACE), an auditioned group of high-schoolers who promote leadership on and off stage. In 2017 she devised and implemented the 48-hour Alumni Production, a full-length musical produced in just two days with a cast made up exclusively of NTPA Alumni—many of whom have since gone on to pursue training and careers in the performing arts. Morgan advanced to the senior staff role of Creative Director in 2018, where she provided artistic support and development to a team of Managing Directors, as well as codified and incorporated best practices for all creative staff. During this time she also implemented the Resident Director program, and helped launch the NTPA Academy, a conservatory-style program for performing arts students. In 2020 Morgan took NTPA’s inaugural JTF troupe to the Junior Theatre Festival in Sacramento, where they won Excellence in Ensemble. During her professional career Morgan has had the fortune to direct and/or perform in over 50+ productions, with some of her favorites being Boeing-Boeing, Macbeth, Arms and the Man, The Addams Family, Big Fish, Pippin, Newsies, A Little Night Music, Cabaret, Twelfth Night, and Urinetown. She established her private acting coaching studio in 2013, and her students can be found in local and professional theatres, TV/Film, and top-ranking collegiate theatre programs around the nation. Morgan is a member of VASTA (Voice and Speech Teachers Association), MTEA (Musical Theatre Educators Alliance), TCG (Theatre Communications Group), and EdTA (Educational Theatre Association). Additional training includes time spent with masks and puppets at Les Subsistence in Leon, France, extensive workshops on boundaries and consent with Theatrical Intimacy Education, and certification in One Voice Vocal Technique. In the fall of 2021, Morgan and her husband Cesar relocated to North Carolina with their animal children. Here she serves as the Theatre Instructor at Shaw University, while actively pursuing additional opportunities to share her knowledge and theatre background with a new community. You can find out more about Morgan and her current projects at www.morgansouthard.com